After some scheduling conflicts earlier this year the Castalia Trio ensemble will be performing classic chamber music at 1 p.m. Sunday at Esber Recital Hall.

The Castalia Trio, formed in 1991, is composed of School of Music faculty members James Lyon, Kim Cook and Maryléne Dosse.

"Kim Cook and I were both hired at Penn State at around the same time, it is a very natural thing for faculty to do to come together," Lyon, a violin professor, said. "The practicality of us all being here led naturally to us forming [the Castalia Trio]."

The name Castalia comes from the name of a spring in Greek mythology that Muses would go to for poetic inspiration.

The trio wants to bring a fresh sound to the two works they will be performing on Sunday. One of the works is by Bedrich Smetana and another by Felix Mendelssohn.

"Smetana was one of the first Czech nationalist composers so his piece is very much inspired by folk melodies, it's very dramatic," Lyon said.

The members of Castalia Trio have had the opportunity to travel to such places as the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany and even Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall in New York.

Despite the fact that the trio has played all over, members are still working hard to put on a flawless show for Penn State.

Dosse, who has been playing piano since she was 6 years old, said she always spent at least eight hours, usually more, practicing the piano in one day.

"As long as I have a good piano and good acoustics, that is all that matters to me when I play," Dosse said.

Lyon also said the practices have been going well and they enjoy the chance to take a break from teaching music and actually get the opportunity to play music.

"We always enjoy performing at Penn State," Cook, a cello professor, said. "[Sunday] is an opportunity for us to perform our program before we go on tour next month to Paris and the surrounding area."

The trio appreciates the fact that the Penn State community considers the development of the School of Music a high priority, and the support they get from other faculty members.

"We have such a nice faculty that's supportive and people in town are quite supportive, it is like playing for our friends," Dosse said.

These are friends that the trio has made by performing throughout Pennsylvania and at the Music at Penn's Woods Festival. Whether or not students have a strong background in music, the trio urges everyone to try to attend Sunday's performance.

"Both works have beautiful melodic lines and are accessible to students with no background in music," Cook said. "It is a wonderful opportunity to be exposed to profound and important repertoire from our rich classical musical heritage."